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☿︎ Mercury Transit 2026
Budh Gochar · all sign-change dates & times in IST · computed to the minute
Mercury (Budh) begins 2026 in ♐︎ Sagittarius. During 2026 it changes sign 14 times. Every transit (Gochar) date and exact time below is in Indian Standard Time. In Vedic astrology, Mercury signifies intellect, speech, communication, commerce, analysis, learning and dexterity, so its movement shapes those areas of life.
| # | Date | Time (IST) | Enters sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 17 January 2026 | 10:17 am | ♑︎ Capricorn (Makara) |
| 2 | Tue 3 February 2026 | 09:46 pm | ♒︎ Aquarius (Kumbha) |
| 3 | Sat 11 April 2026 | 01:07 am | ♓︎ Pisces (Meena) |
| 4 | Thu 30 April 2026 | 06:47 am | ♈︎ Aries (Mesha) |
| 5 | Fri 15 May 2026 | 00:27 am | ♉︎ Taurus (Vrishabha) |
| 6 | Fri 29 May 2026 | 11:06 am | ♊︎ Gemini (Mithuna) |
| 7 | Mon 22 June 2026 | 03:08 pm | ♋︎ Cancer (Karka) |
| 8 | Tue 7 July 2026 | 11:15 am | ♊︎ Gemini (Mithuna) Retrograde |
| 9 | Wed 5 August 2026 | 07:45 pm | ♋︎ Cancer (Karka) |
| 10 | Sat 22 August 2026 | 07:27 pm | ♌︎ Leo (Simha) |
| 11 | Mon 7 September 2026 | 01:27 pm | ♍︎ Virgo (Kanya) |
| 12 | Sat 26 September 2026 | 00:31 pm | ♎︎ Libra (Tula) |
| 13 | Wed 2 December 2026 | 05:20 pm | ♏︎ Scorpio (Vrishchika) |
| 14 | Tue 22 December 2026 | 07:32 am | ♐︎ Sagittarius (Dhanu) |
About Mercury transit (Budh Gochar)
A “transit” is the real-time movement of a planet through the twelve zodiac signs, as opposed to where it sat at your birth. As Mercury moves from one sign to the next, it activates a different house of your chart counted from your Moon sign or ascendant, shifting the themes that come to the fore. The dates above are calculated from precise sidereal (Lahiri) positions, so they are accurate to the minute in IST.
To see exactly what this transit means for you, read your Mercury in the houses guide, your monthly horoscope, or ask AstroAsk a question about your chart.
Transit times are computed from sidereal planetary positions (Lahiri ayanamsa) and shown in IST. For daily Moon transit and Panchang, see today’s Panchang.